[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmB0qo8f3vg&w=500&h=305] Since Christmas is right around the corner, I planned on writing about the Beatles’ Fan Club Christmas records. However, last week’s mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, has halted the usual festivities, teaching us that life is fragile.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mZKY3R1MIQ&w=500&h=305] Tchiya Amet creates this interesting subtext, weaving a mystical tapestry of stories, myths, legends and spells through a varied rhythmic landscape. But even if you aren’t familiar with the source material, Celestial Folk Music charms.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzATAxmOPKk&w=560&h=315] It’s a song about a certain day. This day. December 21, 2012. William Pulliam, aka Darondo, is a soul and funk singer from the San Francisco Bay area who cut several sides in the early 70s, but only three singles were released.

So I’m drivin’ home the night before last and as I get a few miles away from the house I notice that people are flashing their high beams at me. This has happened occasionally but mostly the cause is that I’ve been slow to the high beams lever. Oops!